Rovers: Longest Successful Goal-Kicking Sequence

Rovers: Longest Successful Goal-Kicking Sequence

In 2003 Barry Eaton was playing for Batley Bulldogs and set a new World Record by completing a sequence of 38 successive, successful goal kicks. That record stood for 9 years.

In a match between Featherstone Rovers and York City Knights on Saturday May 19th, 2012 York City Knights raced to a surprise 14-0 half-time lead. In the 45th minute Rovers began the fightback when Andy Bostock scored a try and Liam Finn kicked the conversion. In the 57th minute Andy scored another try, but Liam’s kick was unsuccessful.  11 minutes later Andy Kain scored a further try which Liam converted. No-one, of course, could be aware of the significance of Liam’s kick but it was to be the first in a sequence of successful goal-kicks that would end up breaking Barry Eaton’s world record. That match ended after Rovers scored 34 unanswered second-half points with Liam following up his conversion to Andy Kain’s try with 3 further successful conversions.

In the next three matches Liam was faultless in his goal kicking bringing his tally to 31 successful kicks in a row. The middle of those three matches was in the so called Anglo-French Challenge when Featherstone, as 2011 Championship winners, played Pia, the French Elite champions of 2011, to win the ‘European Club Championship’.

The next match was away to Keighley Cougars on the evening of Thursday June 3rd. It was a Thursday evening because it was being shown live on Premier Sports. Fev were a much stronger team than Keighley so we knew that the potential was there for the team to rack up sufficient points to give Liam a chance of equalling or maybe even breaking Barry Eaton’s record. The atmosphere was electric. In the first 33 minutes of the first half the team scored six tries all of which Liam converted to bring his tally to 37. There was some bemusement amongst Keighley supporters and the Premier Sports team. It became pretty obvious that the Fev players were trying desperately hard to score as near as possible to the posts. And then the Fev fans supporters were cheering each conversion much more than they were applauding the tries. We remember having to explain what was going on to Keighley supporters who were sat near to us!

Then the first big moment arrived. Appropriately, in the 38th minute Ian Hardman went over for Fev’s seventh try. As with the earlier ones he contrived to get as near to the posts as he could. Liam put the ball on the kicking tee and stroked over his 38th successive goal-kick to equal the world record and bring about huge cheering! Half-time came and we bumped into one of the Premier Sports team and explained to them what was happening.

The second half started somewhat anti-climactically with an early try from Keighley and we had to wait until the 60th minute for Fev to score again. It came from substitute, James Lockwood. Liam converted to even greater cheers as he set a new world record with his 39th kick.

The match ended in a 60-12 victory, Fev scoring two more tries and Liam kicking both to take his run to 41.

On the Sunday following the match Liam was in action again but this time playing for Ireland against England Knights at Saint Helens. Ireland were well beaten with the Knights racking up 62 points. But John O’Donell did score a try for Ireland in the 28th minute but it was wide out, just inside the touchline, and Liam narrowly missed the kick, ending his run and leaving his world record at 41.

In 2017, Jamie Ellis, playing for Hull Kingston Rovers equalled Liam’s record but failed to break it.

But the story for Liam goes a little bit further than that missed conversion for Ireland. Fev’s next match was away to Leigh on June 26th. Leigh took a 6-0 lead early on but in the 20th minute Andy Kain scored a try which Liam converted to make it 42 in a row for Fev. On the stroke of half-time Nathan Chappell touched down for Fev but Liam failed with the conversion thus ending his run of successive successful goal kicks for Fev.

So, oddly, the World Record stands at 41, but the Fev record is 42!!